Now Or Never
by kylexdamien
Summary: Dirk and Jane finally meet for the first time. But Dirk is worried... what if she doesn't like him? What if it doesn't go to plan, the way he'd like it to?


Dirk hovered around the tree, outside Jane Crocker's house. He had been waiting so long to meet her, and finally, the day had come. He had already met Roxy and Jake on previous dates, so he was fairly used to psychical contact, after not seeing anyone in his entire life for 15 years. Panic began to rise in his chest. But what if it was different with Jane? What if she had high expectations for him, but he fell short? Sure, he wasn't perfect, but who was, right? He had met Jake first, so he was understanding when Dirk wasn't too keen on opening up straight away, and Roxy had been drunk, so she couldn't care less, but Jane was the third person he would have met, and he doubted she would be drunk, or even touch the liquor, so there was no advantage for him.

Dirk shuffled nervously, stabbing the ground with his black converses, kicking the snow into equal piles. He shot a glance at the front door, slowly shifting his eyes up to the window slightly above it. Where did that window lead? Oh god, what if it lead to her bedroom? What if she had seen him, and didn't like the look of him, so she refused to come out, leaving him outside in the cold air, allowing him to freeze to death.

Dirk let out a shaky breath. Calm down, man. If there was someone here who could read your thoughts, there would be no way they would think you were a cool, confident Strider. Raking a hand through his spiky blonde hair, he began to examine the garden. Pretty much like every other one on the street, apart from the large tree which stood in the middle of the lawn. A piece of rope was tied to one of the branches, which held a tyre-swing. He smiled at the thought of a young Jane laughing, while being swung by her father.

Dirk rubbed his arm, trying to make his nerves disappear. Because seriously, what on earth is there to be worried about? It's not like—His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a door latch clicking, followed by an old rusty door handle being tugged on. Dirk spun round, watching, until finally the door gave way, being pulled all the way back, revealing a young, short black-haired girl. Jane.

_Oh my god. _Dirk's jaw dropped, gawping at the sight in front of him. He quickly shut it, remembering the other day when he met Jake, and he did the same thing. He just couldn't believe how _short _Jake wore his shorts. My god, he _walked around in those? _Andin this weather! Dirk's legs were practically frozen in his black, skinny jeans, and he'd only been there 5 minutes. Jake didn't like Dirk's reaction, but Dirk couldn't take him seriously. Especially when he had said; "Bloody hell, Strider! Let a fellow wear what he pleases," in that accent of his. He wasn't going to relive the same unpleasant experience with Jane, oh no.

But _oh my god._ She was absolutely _gorgeous!_

Jane looked puzzled to see Dirk standing there beside the tree, shivering. "Strider?" she asked, crossing off the lists of possibilities in her head. Well, she'd met Roxy when Dirk met Jake, and then Jake when Roxy and Dirk met one another, so it must be him, right?

"Yes ma'am," Dirk confirmed, failing to hide his Texan slang. It wasn't the most impressive thing to hear.

Jane quickly examined Dirk from head to toe, a smile escaping from her lips. She raced towards him, throwing her arms around his neck. Dirk took a slight step back, shocked at the sudden embracement. He returned the smile, grinning as he felt all his fears drain away, sliding his own wiry arms around her waist, resting his chin on the top of her head. He felt her bury her face into his neck. Right there, he felt safe. The safest he's ever been. Safer then when he was alone on his fucking privacy island, with no one around for miles to harm him. He was disappointed when Jane pulled away from him, but was too ashamed to let it show, and bring her back into his arms.

"Why didn't you knock?" Jane asked, her voice going higher with each word.

Dirk blinked once. Twice. "Knock?"

Jane rolled her eyes. "Yes, you know, knock? What you do on people's doors before they open it, and let you inside?" She crafted a knocking motion with her hand in the air. Dirk watched her every moment; she was just swinging her hand back and forth. It looked stupid, really. Jane sighed. "Well, I guess when you're alone; you don't need to have boundaries."

Dirk stared at her, dumbfounded. He had his mouth hanging open, but this time for a different reason. "...b-but," he began, stuttering, desperately trying to find the right words. "Jake and Roxy both opened the door for me. I didn't need to knock!"

Jane rolled her eyes again. The second time in less than a minute. This had to be some sort of record. If not that, then he should at least win something for being able to displease and annoy a girl in a matter of seconds. "Yes, but I believe that's because you arrived on time, and they were looking out for you. They were expecting you. You're just lucky I glanced outside. The last thing I was expecting was an abnormally tall Dirk, shivering, talking to a tree!"

Dirk narrowed his eyes, turning his head slightly to glance at the tree. Did he really talk to it?

Jane cocked her head. Dirk Strider speechless? Online he'd come back at her with the best snide remark. One which wouldn't even occur to her yet seemed to obviously brilliant and powerful. She loved it when he used smart comments and big words with her. Jane was intelligent, yes, but not as great as Dirk. She just wanted so soak Dirk's wisdom up like a sponge. She smiled as she studied his face. Well, what she was able to see of it, anyway. She raised her hand up to his face, desperate to remove his shades, but felt they weren't friendly enough in person to be able to do that. He would most likely react badly. Dropping her hand down lower, she wrapped her slim fingers around Dirk's wrist, dragging him up her porch, and through the front door. "Gosh, you must be freezing!" she exclaimed on the way.

Dirk allowed himself to be pulled along. "Not really."

Jane pushed him indoors, slamming the door, shutting out the cold. Warmth overtook them immediately, and Dirk realized that yes, actually, he _had _been freezing. "Well, you feel it," she said smiling, removing her hand from his wrist. "You're not even wearing a jacket!"

Dirk looked down at himself. Huh. So he wasn't.

"I must at least fetch you a coat before we go out, again," she continued. Dirk nodded, watching as Jane rubbed her arms, making her way into the kitchen. Cautiously, he followed her, approaching the door. He balled his hand into a fist, slowly, moving it towards the white painted wooden door. He did the gesture Jane showed him earlier, following her every step. Jane giggled without turning round. "It's a bit late for that!"

Dirk grinned sheepishly. "I was just trying it out," he mumbled, retreating his hand back to his side. Jane laughed again, and informed him it was okay, before pulling him inside her petite kitchen. He gaped at the site in front of him. Inside, was a large, round polished table, filled to the brim with all sorts of glorious foods. All different kinds of Crocker-goodness lay before him. It was a sight which could make you mouth water. Cookies, crumbles, brownies, pies, this young girl had made many sweet-tooth delights! However, the one which stood out most to Dirk was the large chocolate cake right in the middle of it all. It looked so delicious, with the fudge icing oozing from the top, trailing down the cake, forming a small shiny puddle on the plate. Dirk just _stared._ Jane's cooking sure was one of a kind.

He hadn't realized he was drooling until Jane began dabbing his mouth with a small white handkerchief. "I wasn't sure what to make you, so I made you a bit of everything," she said, with a smile too big for her face. She noticed him eyeing up the cake. "Oh, I hoped you would like it! It's fresh – came out of the oven about 5 minutes ago. Just before I saw you, actually!"

Dirk could hardly hear her. All he could think about was devouring that cake. Man, he hadn't even tasted the food yet, and Jane was already his favourite cook!

Jane clasped her hands together, admiring her handy work. "How about a little taste of everything?" she bent down, opening her tiny cupboard, peering inside it. She returned with two medium fine-china plates. Dirk's eyes moved back to the counter filled with the goods she had made. Jane watched him scan them once more, and – oh god, he was drooling again. She grabbed his hand. "Well, we'd better get started before it gets cold!"

Dirk nodded, his eyes still not leaving the table, causing Jane to let out her childish giggle once more. "What do you want to try first?" she asked.

"Cake," Dirk answered immediately. Jane grinned. At least he was interested. She walked over with a bounce in each step, leaning past the other various foods before carefully handling the large chocolate cake, lifting the knife to the base, biting her lip as she cut deep into the warm mixture, before asking how big a slice Dirk wanted.

"It's ok," he said, shrugging. "I'll just have the whole thing," he reached down, taking the plate in both hands. Jane studied him, open mouthed. He let out a tuneful laugh. "I'm kidding, Jane," After placing the plate back down where it was, he held up his hands, very far apart. The size of one shoulder to the other. "This size."

Jane nodded, and smiled, slicing down into the cake, being careful not to spill many crumbs. She _didn't _cut him a massive slice, but a fairly medium piece. Slipping the knife underneath it, she quickly raised it, plopping it onto the china plate. Opening a drawer, she handed a spoon and fork to Dirk. "Have whichever one you want," Her words were kind as she smiled warmly.

Dirk's face fell. He pretended to look upset. "I was being serious, that time, Jane," he said, putting on a fake, tearful voice.

Jane continued to smile. She now realized what Dirk was like. She was outstanded by his charming, witty personality. He was nothing she expected, yet everything she hoped for. Having him around was going to be great, she could already tell. She was determined not to miss a single second of their time together!

Slicing her own piece of cake, she spoke soft words. "Dirk, you have to deal with what you've got," she cut her own piece a fraction smaller than Dirks, before again, moving it onto another plate. She went to pick up the rest of the delicious baked treat. "And you're just going to have to accept that I've got a bigger bit than you," she joked, teasingly, flashing him her unique smile, setting the cake back where it first began.

Dirk huffed. "No fair," he winked at her. "Nah, s'alright, Crocker. I'll just steal the rest when you're not looking," they laughed quietly together, as he looked down at his piece, and then moving on to hers. "But seriously, the cook should always have the biggest part."

"What, so I can die first because of my awful cooking" she asked, opening the fridge to produce a carton of cream, peeling off the lid. "You can't get rid of me that easy."

"Oh come on, Jane. We gotta know if it's good to eat or not, y'know?" Dirk replied, smirking. He sat himself down at Jane's kitchen table, and picked up the fork, moving the spoon to the side. He'd put that away when he was done. Jane joined him, beaming as she did the same. She poured a small amount of cream on top of her slice, watching as Dirk followed suit. Returning the carton of cream to the middle of the table, they both decided to tuck in, ignoring idle chit-chat.

Dirk bit into the dreamy sensation, smiling as the still-warm icing treated his taste buds. Yeah. Looks like Jane Crocker is now officially the best chef in the world. Or baker, whatever one you go with.

After a few minutes, he decided to break the silence. "You know Jane," he said between mouthfuls of food. "You're incredibly skinny. How can you be this good a cook, yet have such a slim posture? If I could bake like you, I'd have to get a crane to move me around," he finished chewing, and swallowed. "Seriously, this shit is delicious," Jane blushed, for which part he wasn't sure. "A very slim body, indeed, Crocker."

She began flushing more furiously. Ah, so it was for _that _part. "I –" she paused, over thinking her sentence. "I just wanted to lose it before I met you all," she mumbled, over- emphasizing on the last word. Overall, her voice was just shaky. "I didn't want you to think I couldn't control myself. Especially when Roxy is like –" she stopped herself. She was extremely jealous of Roxy's looks and figure, and she didn't want it to show. _Especially _not in front of Dirk. He could just tell Roxy right away, giving them another reason to laugh at her, for. Her friends weren't at all mean to her, oh no, but sometimes teasing can go a little too far.

Instead, Dirk slowly raised himself out of the dining chair, and stepped towards her, wrapping his long limbs around her, planting a small kiss on the top of her head. Jane blushed even darker than she was before. "Jane, you're perfect just the way you are," he muttered under his breath, into her ear, keeping his voice lower than usual. "Don't ever let us –or anyone else change that," Jane opened her mouth to protest, but Dirk interrupted her before she could. "I don't care if you're a size 8 or a size 28, I'll love you either way –as will Jake and Roxy. Do whatever you want. It doesn't have to be what other people want you to do, just go with your instincts, and ignore their remarks. Although, seriously, if you're under size 6, fucking eat or so help me I will force you, and you'll have to put up with my dreadful cooking. Trust me, you don't want it to come to that," Jane smiled. Wow, way to ruin the moment, Dirk.

After taking in everything he just said, she sat there, stunned. Had Dirk Strider really just said to her? Did he honestly believe she was fine the way she was? And that he...loved her? She shook her head and smiled, beaming up at Dirk to show how thankful she was. Don't rush to conclusions, Jane! You'll only end up getting hurt. Friends, just friends. She repeated the last few sentences in her head a few times, but her heart told her brain to shut up, and just go for it. She wasn't sure which was the better option; friends or...more?

She took a deep breath. For once, she _wasn't_ going to do what her brain told her, and what was probably best. No, she was going to go with the risky option. She was going to go with her heart. Sure, a broken heart was on the line, but if it all turned out well, she would be thrilled to have done it. Better to be rejected than to never know, right?

As Dirk pulled away from her, she reached out for his hand, entwining their fingers, refusing to let go. Inhaling slowly, she told herself that she could do this. She _could_ do this... she _will _do this!

As soon as they were facing towards one another, she reached her hand up to his face, and rested her fingers on his glasses. She began to slowly slide them off, down his nose. She felt him tense up, and flinch slightly, clamming his eyes shut. She stopped abruptly. As soon as she felt him relax, she continued, smiling as he allowed her to do so. Fluttering her ocean blue eyes, he opened his. She finally rested upon his most exotic feature, gasping as she did so. There they were. She gazed deep into his beautiful, orange-shaded eyes which she had been absolutely _dying _to see for ages, now. They were unbelievably outstanding. Dirk grinned. She had been the first to gasp in a pleasant way. When he was on his way to meet Lalonde and English, people had looked shocked, horrified even, sending him dirty, disgusted looks. He had been planning to meet them all naturally, no shades at all, but he hadn't realized his eyes were that unusual. So abnormal people thought it was okay to stop and stare, thinking of him as nothing but trash, in no way as brilliant as they were.

He had greeted both Roxy and Jake wearing his shades, keeping his eyes hidden. They were both utterly disappointed, especially when he tried to drive them away from seeing his eyes with lame excuses about why he couldn't just simply take them off. But he felt different with Jane. He felt connected, somehow. As if he could trust her completely, having nothing but faith in her. And he was right. Jane placed a palm on his cheek, gently stroking him with her thumb. "They're beautiful," she said, her voice barely a whisper.

Dirk leant in, pursing his lips slightly. When he got to her, he thought his decision through. No, he wanted it to be more romantic than this. He moved to the right, leaving Jane with a small peck on the cheek. She gave him a quick smile, determined not to let her disappointment show through.

He held out a hand, gesturing for her to take it. "Ready for the best night of your life, m'lady?" Jane smiled, delicately placing her hand in his. He led her out of the kitchen, back to the front door. With her free hand, Jane quickly swept up her coat from the banister, and snatching her father's from the coat rack. She removed her hand from Dirk's, handing over her father's coat to him. Thankful, he took it from her, both of them slipping them on at the same time. Lucky, Dirk was a tall boy, and well brought up. The coat was only slightly too large for him.

Dirk took Jane's hand in his again, as they disappeared out the door. They proceeded to walk down the path, not letting go of one another. Jane sneaked a glance over at Dirk, who seemed rather puzzled, scanning the area, and shooting glances over his shoulder a little too often. If Jane didn't know any better, she would have thought he was in fear of someone following them. To make sure, she glanced behind, to the path they had just walked. She giggled, her voice musical, covering her mouth with her free hand, turning back to face ahead. Dirk shot her a look of confusion. "You have no idea where you're going, do you, Dirk?" she asked, still chuckling slightly. Dirk let out one short, simple laugh. It wasn't forced, and that fact alone made Jane light up, grinning madly.

"You caught me," Dirk replied, cheeks rosy pink against his pale skin. "I haven't a clue."

Laughing as they continued their walk, Jane began swinging her arm, which contained Dirk's hand, forcing him to swing along, too. With a skip in her step, she began to hum. By the time Dirk had figured out the tune, she had ditched the humming, and was straight out singing, a melodic tune of only 4 chords. Dirk stayed silent, smiling at her joyful outburst. When she paused to take a small breath, Dirk found the courage to quickly ask her what it was she was singing.

Even Jane's answer was a merry melody. "Oh, I don't know the name. It was just some lullaby my father used to sing me when I had nightmares," she smiled at the memory of being tucked up in bed, with her dad perched on the edge, belting out with his terrific voice, this simple, uplifting song. "Of course, he hasn't done it for years. But sometimes, I hear him softly singing it to himself in the kitchen when he thinks I'm not home," Dirk nodded. How could he respond to that?

They walked in silence for a few minutes. "How many years?" Dirk asked, quietly.

"About 5," Jane answered, her voice much more gentle now, but with a small hint of sadness. Before Dirk could ask why, she explained first. "He thought I got too old," she shook her head. "He's wrong. I loved it when he sang to me. I still would if he did."

"I'd sing you to sleep," Dirk mumbled under his breath, but just loud enough for Jane to hear. Her expression lifted, giving off a warm happy glow.

"You can sing to me whenever!" she said, gazing up at him, giggling.

They exchanged grins, locking eyes. Dirk moved forward slightly, whispering to Jane. "Could you teach me the lullaby?"

Jane sighed softly. "Of course I can," she began singing the beautiful 4 chorded melody slowly, so Dirk could catch on. She repeated the verses often as to make it easier for him to remember.

About 10 minutes later, both Jane and Dirk were skipping down the road, swinging their arms, while singing at the top of their lungs, until an elderly man began shouting at them to stop, waving his walking stick wildly in the air, attempting to act threatening. Neither of them could stop laughing as they crossed the street, turning round a sharp corner.

Dirk stopped them both, turning to face Jane, grinning, hugging her close as the winter snow fell gracefully around them. It was the perfect time. Dirk shifted uncomfortably, smoothing out her hair, removing flakes of snow. A pointless act as more continued to fall onto her. She smiled brightly up at him. Now or never, Dirk, now or never... he cupped her face in both his hands, leaning down until he could feel her breath hot against his. Now or never... Jane broke the gap, kissing him lightly on the lips. She began to pull away, but Dirk brought her back in, kissing her a bit harder on the mouth. Jane raised her eyebrows in surprise, but gradually melted into the kiss. She was the first to pull back, but staying close to him Dirk moved forward, resting his forehead against hers, beaming. Neither of them had ever felt happier than they did in that moment.


End file.
